Grande Non-Fat Latte with Two Equals

The year was 2011. It was roughly 178 degrees that summer in St. Louis. The event was the Smart Girls Summit. Andrew was there to speak. I was there to sing. Neither of us was a particularly smart girl. I was set up at a table in the bloggers’ lounge when Andrew’s eldest son entered. “Where’s your Dad?” I said. He said “Starbucks,” and then went on his way, apparently to find a 12-year-old smart girl of interest. I, on the other hand, quickly called Andrew: “You still at Starbucks?” He said “Yeah, you want something?” And I said “a grande non-fat latte with two equals.”

About 15 minutes later, Andrew showed up, handed me the latte, told me he had to go talk to someone I didn’t know about something I didn’t understand, and then he left. I took a sip of the latte, and then suddenly there was a young blogger in front of my table. He seemed confused, almost disoriented. I didn’t know him so I thought maybe that was just his “look,” but it wasn’t. He was trying to make sense of something, like his world had spun off its axis…and then he asked me: “Did Andrew Breitbart just bring you coffee?” It took me a second to understand why he was asking. I just said “Yes.” He shook his head and then kind of talked it out with me trying to get his arms around it: “I just can’t believe that Andrew Breitbart, with all his stature and importance would just bring you a cup of coffee like that. He’s like a hero and he brought you coffee?” Now, I’m pretty sure this was not a reflection on me but a rather the poignant reflection of one of Andrew’s many admirers realizing for the first time that Andrew was just a guy. Remarkable, yes. But just a guy, accessible to anyone who approached him because he saw the good in people. Because he liked people.

I took a moment to gather my thoughts. I had to choose my words carefully. I thought to myself: I have a responsibility to help this young blogger understand who Andrew Breitbart truly is, and with that, I looked up at him and I said: “He forgot the Equal.”